Much like music, the written word can soothe and inspire. In this eloquent collection of poetry, four poets share emotions they've experienced while coping with loss and grief. During some of their most difficult times, Victoria Valentine, Lynda G. Bullerwell, jacob erin-cilberto and Amitabh Mitra have let their innermost thoughts spill onto paper. Our Little Black Book of Ills is a heart wrenching collaboration of forty-six poems of pain, passion, and something we cannot survive without ... hope.

jacob erin-cilberto explores the full range of emotional relationships from "hour glass hearts" to "misfortunate circles" in this collection that reminds us of why we love and the pain and despair that often coexist with the joy of love. The "Demolition" poems which are featured in this collection provide a wonderful contrast to the pieces about hope, love and life.

Most of us can easily recall a nostalgic moment from our past where we wish we could have a "do-over." These stunning poems are at once poignant and whimsical, leaving the reader hopeful and uplifted. Using a backdrop of poetic greats such as Dickinson and Plath, jacob erin-cilberto shows us that it is possible to breathe new life into things from our past in his fifteenth collection of poetry. His poems are rich in motifs which serve to underscore the themes of remembrance and redemption running through this magnificent collection.

For those who enjoy experimental poetry that is energetic in tone with a political comment, then "An Abstract Waltz" by jacob erin-cilberto is the book for you. "An Abstract Waltz" travels with the reader through a versatile selection of poetry from "The Monarch Turns Blue" where erin-cilberto nostalgically reflects on his youth, "if only we could go back, /but the 60s have been crushed/like caterpillars crossing the road in an autumn morn." In "A Challenged Artist" the reader sees a political slant, fall - oh yes, a middle class leaf tumbling to the ground/to be burned in the pile and...